timely

1 of 2

adjective

time·​ly ˈtīm-lē 

timelier; timeliest

1

: coming early or at the right time

a timely decision

timely payment

2

: appropriate or adapted to the times or the occasion

a timely book

timeliness noun

timely

2 of 2

adverb

1

: in time : opportunely

the question was not … timely raised in the state court

—W. O. Douglas

2

archaic : early, soon

Synonyms

Adjective

• opportune
• seasonable
• well-timed

Examples of timely in a Sentence

Adjective

Her very timely book examines the effects of global warming on the world's climates.

She always responds to my requests in a timely fashion.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Tools like Duolingo’s AI tutors, which adjust to individual proficiency levels, have been shown to improve writing and conversational skills through timely corrections, as noted in a 2022 Stanford study. —Balaji Soundararajan, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

The same cannot be said of logistics, which often makes timely production and deliveries challenging, never mind any urgent celebrity requests, according to the designer. —Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 24 Feb. 2025

Alabama has regularly fallen below that standard and also has one of the worst rates for processing appeals in a timely fashion. —Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025

Created by Eric Newman, Noah Oppenheim, and Michael Schmidt, Zero Day spins its timely tale of digital terrorism with the help of a starry cast led by Robert De Niro. —EW.com, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for timely

• sublimely
• untimely

Kids Definition

timely

adjective

time·​ly

ˈtīm-lē

timelier; timeliest

1

: coming early or at the right time

2

: especially suitable for the time

a timely book

timeliness noun

Legal Definition

timely

adjective

time·​ly

ˈtīm-lē

: falling within a prescribed or reasonable time

timely notice

timeliness noun

timely adverb